To the Rarer Cancers Forum

To the Rarer Cancers Forum

Dear Debbie and Andrew

Thank you for writing to me about the Rarer Cancers Forum. I think the whole idea of such an organisation is brilliant and, if I may say so, I think the proposals/demands in your manifesto are extremely well thought out.

I very much support everything in the manifesto - with the inevitable sorry caveat that public spending is bound to be tight over the next few years, whoever gains power in the election. But two things need to be said. First, a number of your proposals do not actually need more spending, but a more focused approach to the issues. And secondly, if we are talking about keeping a tight rein on public spending we are inevitably talking about priorities - and it is hard to see a greater priority than developing new methods of preventing, diagnosing and treating the rarer cancers, and giving better support to patients and their families.

The Liberal Democrats' approach is to be ruthless about cutting bureaucracy in the Health Service, in order to free up resources for patient care.

The Liberal Democrats are also on record as saying that the NICE appraisal processes must be made more transparent and, with regard to the rarest types of cancer, the NICE approval processes must be made flexible in order to ensure that patients do not miss out on vital life-saving or extending treatment.

I feel particularly strongly that in times of financial stringency it is important to protect the UK's medical research base, both as to the fundamental science and as to clinical trials.

Sincerely

Chris Bramall

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate,

Stourbridge

P.S. For reasons of electoral law I need to add my agent's details:

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Published and promoted by Simon Hanson on behalf of Chris Bramall (Liberal Democrats),

both at 53 Chawn Hill, Stourbridge, West Midlands, DY9 7JA.